 | Dr. John Brewer is a winemaker and owner of Wyldewood Cellars Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in Kansas. Dr. Brewer founded Wyldewood Cellars in 1995. He is a Ph.D. in Physics and applies high-tech principles to wine making, which has helped Wyldewood Cellars win over 120 International awards. Dr. Brewer judges at several International Wine Competitions each year. Dr. Brewer is very active re-establishing a premium wine industry in Kansas. You may contact Dr. Brewer at Wyldewood Cellars Winery, P.O. Box 205, Mulvane, KS 67110, by phone at (316) 554-WINE (9463), or by e-mail at elderwines@aol.com |
Wine & Spirits
2003-10-01 11:56:00
Winemaking vs. beer brewing
Can you make wine out of anything? Is winemaking and beer-making much the same process? If not, how do they differ? Which has been around longer?
ANSWER: In the fermentation process, the yeast eats the sugar and converts it to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. It takes five things to make wine: water, sugar, flavoring, acid, and yeast. As long as a fermentable sugar is in the presence of yeast, you can make wine out of the mixture. In winemaking, we start with a solution that contains a fermentable sugar. For beer, you start with a grain and water mixture that does not have any fermentable sugars, but does contain a large amount of carbohydrate. Malt is an enzyme that is produced when barley starts to sprout. It is added to the grain and water mixture because it converts carbohydrates to a fermentable sugar. This process is hastened by warming the mixture to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the "brewing" part of making beer. After the carbohydrate conversion process is complete, the mixture is cooled and fermented similarly to wine; though different yeasts are used for specific tastes. No one really knows how old beer and wine making really are. Both have been around over 5000 years. It is generally accepted that wine making came first and then beer due to the extra "brewing" step.
